MicroRNA-532-5p protects against atherosclerosis through inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration.

Background: The present study aimed to explore the expression and clinical value of miR-532-5p in atherosclerosis (AS) patients, and analyze its regulating effect on biological behaviors of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).
Methods: A total of 103 AS patients and 77 healthy controls were included. The expression level of miR-532-5p was measured using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was counted to assess the diagnostic value of miR-532-5p in AS. CCK-8 and Transwell assay were used to detect the role of miR-532-5p in VSMCs proliferation and migration.
Results: MiR-532-5p was downregulated in AS patients compared with that in healthy controls. Serum miR-532-5p was inversely related to the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in AS patients. A ROC curve was conducted with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.897, with high sensitivity and specificity. Overexpression of miR-532-5p inhibited cell proliferation and migration in VSMCs, whereas miR-532-5p downregulation had a reverse effect.
Conclusions: Decreased expression of miR-532-5p might be a potential diagnostic biomarker for AS. Overexpression of miR-532-5p inhibits the proliferation and migration of VSMCs. The present results indicate a therapeutic potential of miR-532-5p for AS.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/cdt-20-91). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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